Open Letter to Bob Chimenti
I'm sure several others will do the same. 
08-09-2007 | 11:09 AM
#33
...Whatever It Is!
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,680
Likes: 0
There are people that know who I am too! 
The point is, you've been leaching off of all of us dues paying MEMBERS for years. Pay up and it'll increase your volume so that those of us that pay can hear!
AMF,
Sean
The point is, you've been leaching off of all of us dues paying MEMBERS for years. Pay up and it'll increase your volume so that those of us that pay can hear!AMF,
Sean
08-09-2007 | 11:25 AM
#34
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 11
It's like when you make eye contact with a drunk
Then you can't shut him up.
By the way, instead of upgrading the conversation, ....ohhhh nevermind.....I'm just encouraging him.
As far as my credentials....dues paying member.....that's legitimate enough.
By the way, instead of upgrading the conversation, ....ohhhh nevermind.....I'm just encouraging him.
As far as my credentials....dues paying member.....that's legitimate enough.
08-09-2007 | 02:05 PM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: A Big One
Contributors,
Thank you. Thank you for exactly the responses I not only anticipated, but caused.
It is probably not a bad idea to remember at this point that union membership in this country is now at about 7.4% of the private workforce, the lowest rate in recorded modern history. It lost another 360,000 members last year. Undoubtedly, this is partly because many union members and officials are, for some reason, resistant to "outside" advice, counsel, and example. They simply want to do business the old incestuous way, and nothing is going to stop them...except, apparently, attrition. Unfortunately, general Labor weakness caused by attrition is directly related to the lack of union leverage encountered at FedEx. Union members are just too few in numbers and too divided to accomplish much these days, either at FedEx or anywhere else in this country.
While the comments on this board range from perceptive to downright goofy, the common thread is that the primary contributors are extremely predictable and easily manipulated emotionally. If it is possible for me to easily provoke certain desired results with my posts, one can imagine what the company can do with these types of characters when it comes to dividing and conquering.
One of the many things we learned during our two years on strike at Continental is that the chest-thumpers and name-callers are emotionally fragile. They are the first to crumble and cross the line when the pressure is on. If you, the reader, are a novice to such airline experience, you should know that the emotionalism expressed on this board is a sign of weakness, not strength. As Bob Chimenti explained:
This group demands an inordinate amount of the Union’s time, stimulates a modicum of constructive debate, but at the same time does significant damage to the process and desire of good people to participate in it....[they] will never be willing to make a deal, because the consummation of an agreement renders moot their discontent.
I will take it a step further and promise you that many of the contributors here will use their "discontent" to justify crossing the picket line if and when there is one. If you have not experienced such a scenario before, you will see dynamics occur that you will not believe. The mantra among strike-breakers at CAL (and I am not kidding) was "Frank will take care of me." (One can imagine what the mantra might be at FedEx.) When they turned their lives over to the "master," it was a sight to behold. We are witnessing the same metaphysical preparations going on right here on this board in embryonic form. Narcissism under pressure is a beautiful thing to watch.
I am not a know-it-all, but I do believe that my strike experience at Continental (along with deep involvement in all facets of it: political, legal, communication, financial, and things you don't want to know about), losing ten years of my career and a million dollars in compensation because of the stand I and others took, starting over several times before arriving at FedEx, and having an open mind to new things probably qualifies me to have an respectable opinion on the matters at hand.
Last, and this amuses me, one writer referred to my latest posting as "drivel." This is the same word that one ALPA official used several years ago to describe my "diatribe" on the Age 60 matter. I suspect he is eating that email about now. ALPA has suppressed and ignored good ideas that could have saved it a lot of trouble on a number of issues. But when it censured my writings simply because they dissented from established policy, I knew it was time to terminate the relationship.
I am a striker at heart, and when ALPA started pulling the same stunts as Frank Lorenzo, it was, for me and a few other long-time ALPA members, clearly time to Strike. I suggest that anyone who is tired of ALPA's inability to deal with modern problems consider doing the same.
Bob
Thank you. Thank you for exactly the responses I not only anticipated, but caused.
It is probably not a bad idea to remember at this point that union membership in this country is now at about 7.4% of the private workforce, the lowest rate in recorded modern history. It lost another 360,000 members last year. Undoubtedly, this is partly because many union members and officials are, for some reason, resistant to "outside" advice, counsel, and example. They simply want to do business the old incestuous way, and nothing is going to stop them...except, apparently, attrition. Unfortunately, general Labor weakness caused by attrition is directly related to the lack of union leverage encountered at FedEx. Union members are just too few in numbers and too divided to accomplish much these days, either at FedEx or anywhere else in this country.
While the comments on this board range from perceptive to downright goofy, the common thread is that the primary contributors are extremely predictable and easily manipulated emotionally. If it is possible for me to easily provoke certain desired results with my posts, one can imagine what the company can do with these types of characters when it comes to dividing and conquering.
One of the many things we learned during our two years on strike at Continental is that the chest-thumpers and name-callers are emotionally fragile. They are the first to crumble and cross the line when the pressure is on. If you, the reader, are a novice to such airline experience, you should know that the emotionalism expressed on this board is a sign of weakness, not strength. As Bob Chimenti explained:
This group demands an inordinate amount of the Union’s time, stimulates a modicum of constructive debate, but at the same time does significant damage to the process and desire of good people to participate in it....[they] will never be willing to make a deal, because the consummation of an agreement renders moot their discontent.
I will take it a step further and promise you that many of the contributors here will use their "discontent" to justify crossing the picket line if and when there is one. If you have not experienced such a scenario before, you will see dynamics occur that you will not believe. The mantra among strike-breakers at CAL (and I am not kidding) was "Frank will take care of me." (One can imagine what the mantra might be at FedEx.) When they turned their lives over to the "master," it was a sight to behold. We are witnessing the same metaphysical preparations going on right here on this board in embryonic form. Narcissism under pressure is a beautiful thing to watch.
I am not a know-it-all, but I do believe that my strike experience at Continental (along with deep involvement in all facets of it: political, legal, communication, financial, and things you don't want to know about), losing ten years of my career and a million dollars in compensation because of the stand I and others took, starting over several times before arriving at FedEx, and having an open mind to new things probably qualifies me to have an respectable opinion on the matters at hand.
Last, and this amuses me, one writer referred to my latest posting as "drivel." This is the same word that one ALPA official used several years ago to describe my "diatribe" on the Age 60 matter. I suspect he is eating that email about now. ALPA has suppressed and ignored good ideas that could have saved it a lot of trouble on a number of issues. But when it censured my writings simply because they dissented from established policy, I knew it was time to terminate the relationship.
I am a striker at heart, and when ALPA started pulling the same stunts as Frank Lorenzo, it was, for me and a few other long-time ALPA members, clearly time to Strike. I suggest that anyone who is tired of ALPA's inability to deal with modern problems consider doing the same.
Bob
BECOME A MEMBER AND MAYBE WE'LL LISTEN. UNTIL THEN...WELL YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
08-09-2007 | 02:07 PM
#38
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: A Big One
Beautiful. This is precisely the kind of erroneous, fabricated, and mean-spirited information that has caused the American people to lose respect for unions. It is exactly what Bob Chimenti was talking about in his email and it is an important factor in the collapse of Labor and ALPA. If writers are going to publish on a public board, they should at least get the simpliest facts straight. ALPA was the beneficiary of my dues and efforts long enough. It had its chance. And, the argument that "ALPA is awful but it's all we got," does not cut it with me. It is time for something new.
More to the point: Most FedEx pilots have not fought even one battle, much less a Labor war, to account for any benefits that they enjoy. Around here, it's mostly talk. All current pilot benefits were either won or protected by the warriors that went before them at other carriers, especially at Continental where the strike lasted for two years and cost the strikers their jobs, benefits, and, literally, hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost compensation. When it comes to paying dues, my friends, that is the real thing.
I will be interested in seeing exactly how much in "dues" FedEx pilots are willing to contribute in order to rectify just the optimized pairings, not to mention the other larger issues that are bringing the profession down. What are you going to do about it? When it comes to trip quality and management benevolence, isn't the Flight Crew Handbook starting to look awfully attractive about now?
It is time for a lot of people to take an objective look at what is going on in their profession. ALPA's strategic failures are indisputable. It brings me no joy to say that ALPA has become a reactionary organziation whose actions are almost entirely dicated by outside influences. As a result, employees are now working at the mercy and benevolence of management. Pilots could not pull off even one adequate response when pensions were being lost at multiple ALPA carriers. What more evidence is needed to demonstrate that the program is not working?
I like it when contributors come up with something creative, uplifting, and useful on this board. Let's have more of that.
Bob
More to the point: Most FedEx pilots have not fought even one battle, much less a Labor war, to account for any benefits that they enjoy. Around here, it's mostly talk. All current pilot benefits were either won or protected by the warriors that went before them at other carriers, especially at Continental where the strike lasted for two years and cost the strikers their jobs, benefits, and, literally, hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost compensation. When it comes to paying dues, my friends, that is the real thing.
I will be interested in seeing exactly how much in "dues" FedEx pilots are willing to contribute in order to rectify just the optimized pairings, not to mention the other larger issues that are bringing the profession down. What are you going to do about it? When it comes to trip quality and management benevolence, isn't the Flight Crew Handbook starting to look awfully attractive about now?
It is time for a lot of people to take an objective look at what is going on in their profession. ALPA's strategic failures are indisputable. It brings me no joy to say that ALPA has become a reactionary organziation whose actions are almost entirely dicated by outside influences. As a result, employees are now working at the mercy and benevolence of management. Pilots could not pull off even one adequate response when pensions were being lost at multiple ALPA carriers. What more evidence is needed to demonstrate that the program is not working?
I like it when contributors come up with something creative, uplifting, and useful on this board. Let's have more of that.
Bob
PAY YOUR DUES....THEN WE CAN TALK. UNTIL THEN....ALL I HEAR IS "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE"
08-09-2007 | 02:13 PM
#39
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: A Big One
In order to upgrade the quality and crediblity of contributions to this board, I suggest that anyone who chooses to criticize rather than contribute something of value state their true name and their qualifications to make critical statements on a given subject. This will permit others to more fairly judge the value of the comments. People know who I am and where I have been. You can do it too.
In America, thoughtful people generally devalue criticism offered under the cloak of anonymity. It's cheap talk; anyone can do it. Let's demonstrate a little spunk and take some risk so that our messages will be taken seriously.
Truly, this is an opportunity to begin enhancing the status of our profession. If you have the courage to do this, please step forward. If you do not have it, then demostrate it by continuing to write anonymous notes. We will understand.
Bob
In America, thoughtful people generally devalue criticism offered under the cloak of anonymity. It's cheap talk; anyone can do it. Let's demonstrate a little spunk and take some risk so that our messages will be taken seriously.
Truly, this is an opportunity to begin enhancing the status of our profession. If you have the courage to do this, please step forward. If you do not have it, then demostrate it by continuing to write anonymous notes. We will understand.
Bob
Last edited by bustinmins; 08-09-2007 at 02:16 PM. Reason: corrected spelling error
08-10-2007 | 12:30 PM
#40
Thread Starter
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
STILL NOT READING IT...."I CAN'T HEAR YOU?"
PAY YOUR DUES....THEN WE CAN TALK. UNTIL THEN....ALL I HEAR IS "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE"
PAY YOUR DUES....THEN WE CAN TALK. UNTIL THEN....ALL I HEAR IS "GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE"
Based on experience, it is not the open and honest dissenters whom pilots have to fear. Rather, it is the thousands of dues-paying ALPA members who never make an effort to address the strategic deficiencies that affect our profession, yet are willing to swiftly undermine the interests of all when push comes to shove, whether by flying disputed pairings, crossing the line, or talking trash about union leaders on the Internet. They are all the same to me.
The Internet gives cover to the anonymous trash-talkers, but it also provides a forum for thoughtful individuals to lay out some creative ideas (thus filling the void created by ALPA's censors). Readers here are free to consider the comments and credentials of all contributors, then judge for themselves. That works for me.
Sincerely,
Bob
----Economic harmony shall not occur where there is no economic basis for it----
Last edited by rjlavender; 08-10-2007 at 12:48 PM.
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